Hong Sang-soo‘s ‘Claire’s Camera’ with Kim Min-hee to open April 25

Director Hong Sang-soo’s latest film starring his muse and lover Kim Min-hee will hit the local theaters on April 25.Distributors for the drama, which has a highly-decorated actress Isabelle Huppert as the titular main character, has released the main trailer and the poster for the film.It features a conversation between the leading ladies, Huppert and Kim -- playing Claire and Man-hee, respectively -- about why Claire takes pictures. The poster for “Claire‘s Camera: (Jeonwonsa Film Co.)“Claire’

April 9, 2018

[Box Office] Movies in theaters this week

Gonjiam: Haunted Asylum(Korea)Opened March 28Horror, MysteryDirected by Jun Bum-shik Ha-jun (Wi Ha-jun) who runs a YouTube channel that deals with the supernatural, leads the team of youngsters to the Gonjiam asylum and the mysterious room No. 402, which is supposed to have never been opened since the hospital closed decades before. Despite the rumors that the place is cursed, Ha-jun and his team strap on cameras and plunge into the darkness surrounding the battered building.Ready Player One(US)

April 6, 2018

Yoo Ah-in teams up with Steven Yeun for new film ‘Burning’

“Burning,” the latest movie by director Lee Chang-dong, will open in Korean theaters in May, starring actor Yoo Ah-in and “Walking Dead” star Steven Yeun.It is a drama featuring three youngsters tumbling into a rabbit hole of mystery. A trailer released Wednesday featured Yoo, who will return to the silver screen for the first time in two year since “Like for Likes.” Poster for “Burning” (CGV Arthouse)Yoo starred in hit films such as “Veteran,” period piece “The Throne” and coming-of-age film “P

April 5, 2018

[Herald Review] Despite potential, weak payoff for ‘Snatch-Up’

In its set-up, “Snatch-Up” looks quite promising: The premise of seven men, each with his own share of troubles, their destinies entangled around a gigantic wad of cash and a cast of actors with resumes ranging from promising to superb seemed to spell comedic gold. But the film -- directed by Heo Jun-hyeong -- soon falls flat due to the obvious plot, weak directing and jokes that sometimes work and other times are just annoying. A scene from “Snatch-Up” (LittleBig Pictures)The film starts with M

April 4, 2018

‘Mavely’ shadows hero Sylvester Stallone in arm wrestling film ‘Champion’

Ma Dong-seok occupies a unique place in the hearts of Korean movie fans: the 18-inch arms, rock-solid exterior and rugged looks immediately spell a tough guy, but the Korean-American actor also packs a friendly demeanor that has earned him the nickname “Mavely,” a combination of his surname “Ma” and “Lovely.” The upcoming film “Champion,” directed by Kim Yong-wan, is one that seems tailor-made for Ma, as it follows the story of Korean adoptee Mark on his journey to become an arm wrestling champi

April 2, 2018

Women’s film festival to open on May 1

The 20th Seoul International Women’s Film Festival will kick off on May 31, showcasing films made by women that advocate gender equality.Organizers of the annual event on Wednesday said that the festival would be held from May 31 to June 7 at Megabox in Shinchon-dong, Seoul. This year’s SIWFF has added the category of feature-length domestic and international film competition to the existing categories of Asian short film and video competition, documentary Ock-Rang award, Pitch & Catch and I-Tee

March 28, 2018

Gang Dong-won’s first Hollywood film to start shooting in April

Gang Dong-won may be looking to expand his fan base to the US, as “Tsunami LA,” the Korean actor’s first Hollywood film, will start filming next month.The film is a disaster movie in which Gang appears as a man who struggles to cope as the most powerful tsunami in history hits Los Angeles. All of Gang’s lines will be in English, and the film will be shot in Mexico and Europe. Gang Dong-won (YG Entertainment)“I have great expectations for this project and the character I’m playing, and I’m honore

March 26, 2018

[Box Office] Movies in theaters this week

Pacific Rim: Uprising(US)Opened March 21Action, Adventure, Sci-Fi Directed by Steven S. DeKnightBe With You(Korea)Opened March 14Romance, DramaDirected by Lee Jang-hoonWoo-jin (So Ji-sub) and his son Ji-ho (Kim Ji-hwan) struggle to cope with the loss of Woo-jin’s wife Soo-ah (Son Ye-jin). Ji-ho believes that his mother will return during the rainy season, just like in his favorite fairy tale. One day, Soo-ah miraculously comes back without her memory.The Vanished(Korea)Opened March 7ThrillerDire

March 23, 2018

[Herald Interview] Rookie director Lee Chang-hee shows potential in toying with human psychology

Despite the disadvantage of not being distributed by powerhouses like CJ E&M, crime thriller “The Vanished” managed to stay afloat in the Korean box officer for nearly three weeks. This is thanks to a strong story and good acting, along with solid directing by Lee Chang-hee. The first feature-length film of the young director knows how to depict the tumultuous state of men pushed to the edge, and use a plot twist effectively. Lee Chang-hee is seen during a press conference after the premiere of

March 23, 2018

[Video] ‘What A Man Wants,’ romantic comedy of affairs

The upcoming romantic comedy film “What A Man Wants” features the tempestuous affairs of four middle-aged characters.“Why is it that we are constantly lonely, even if we fall in love, even if we get married?” reads the film’s tagline.Shin Ha-kyun stars as Bong-soo, who once dreamt of being a top chef but is now the meek husband of Mi-young, played by Song Ji-hyo.Bong-soo is led into the world of social media dating through his friend Seok-geun, played by Lee Sung-min. Shin Ha-kyun (left) and Son

March 23, 2018

Choi Soo-young to star in ‘Memories of a Dead End’

Choi Soo-young, better known as Sooyoung of Girls’ Generation, is to take a leading role in a Korean-and-Japanese-made film. Choi will play a leading role in the film “Memories of a Dead End,” based on a novel written by Japanese writer Banana Yoshimoto. It depicts how a female character faces a life-changing moment. The film will start shooting in April in Japan.  Choi Soo-young (Echo Global Group)Choi debuted as a member of Girls’ Generation in 2007. She did not renew her contract with the age

March 22, 2018

[Herald Review] Story behind ‘the evil’

Director Choo Chang-ho said he wanted to explore the evil within people, which is exactly what he did in the “Seven Years of Night.” But he does more than depict someone who does the unforgiveable; he points his camera at the human elements that lurk inside what is told to be evil.The thriller, based on a novel of the same name, centers on two men. Choi Hyun-soo -- played by Ryu Seung-ryong -- is an average, middle-aged man who unintentionally commits the heinous crime of killing a young girl, t

March 22, 2018

[Herald Review] Navigating the dark corners of a haunted asylum

Editors of CNN were right on the money when they introduced Gonjiam Psychiatric Hospital by saying, “The story of this abandoned psychiatric hospital reads like a textbook plot of a horror film.”Directed by Jung Bum-shik, a masterful horror director who made “Epitaph,” the movie “Gonjiam: Haunted Asylum” follows seven people who meet up via a YouTube project to explore what is supposed to be the most haunted place in Korea.A scene from “Gonjiam: Haunted Asylum” (Showbox)Ha-jun, who runs a YouTub

March 21, 2018

[Newsmaker] Film authorities attempted to cover up director’s sex harassment: report

In a report released late Tuesday, the state-run Korean Film Council on Tuesday revealed an attempt to cover up a sexual harassment case by a director against her colleague by officials from its affiliated organization.According to KOFIC, officials at the Korean Academy of Film Arts attempted to conceal actions by director Lee Hyun-joo, who was convicted of a sexual attack on her female colleague in 2015 and was sentenced to a suspended prison term in 2017. Lee has claimed innocence, but announc

March 21, 2018

Theater director Lee grilled over alleged sexual violence

Police questioned Lee Youn-taek, a disgraced theater writer and director, for two consecutive days over the weekend over alleged sexual violence against female junior members of his drama troupe.His appeared at the Seoul Metropolitan Police Agency on Sunday morning, hours after he returned home at 1:10 a.m. following a 15-hour interrogation.The 66-year-old Lee is one of the high-profile South Korean men to fall over sexual misconduct as the "Me Too" movement quickly spreads in the country.After

March 18, 2018

Theater director Lee apologizes amid sex assault allegations

Police here questioned Lee Youn-taek, a disgraced South Korean theater writer and director, Saturday for allegations that he sexually harassed or assaulted more than a dozen women using his status and clout.Lee was a leading figure in South Korea's theater circles. But he has faced sex offense charges amid the spread of the "Me Too" movement.  Lee Youn-taek appears for questioning at Seoul Metropolitan Police Agency in Jongno-gu, Saturday. (Yonhap) He is accused of sexually harassing or assaulti

March 17, 2018

[Box office] Movies in theaters this week

Be With You(Korea)Opened March 14Romance, DramaDirected by Lee Jang-hoonWoo-jin (So Ji-sub) and his son Ji-ho (Kim Ji-hwan) struggle to cope with the loss of Woo-jin’s wife Soo-ah (Son Ye-jin). Ji-ho believes that his mother will return during the rainy season, just like in his favorite fairy tale. One day, Soo-ah miraculously comes back without her memory.The Vanished(Korea)Opened March 7ThrillerDirected by Lee Chang-heeThe body of recently deceased business mogul Yoon Sul-hee (Kim Hee-ae) goes

March 16, 2018

[Herald Interview] So Ji-sub wants to be a good man than a good actor

When So Ji-sub was approached to take on the leading role for “Be With You,” the actor first turned it down due to pressure of playing a dad.“I couldn’t imagine myself as a father, so I didn’t think I would be able to do it. If I started shooting, feeling like that, I would hinder the production,” he said in a group interview on Friday. “But I just couldn’t pass it up. I wanted to work in a film that makes me feel good.”In the movie, he plays the role of a young father lamenting the death of his

March 13, 2018

[Herald Interview] Son Ye-jin has special place in heart for melodrama

Despite decades of prevailing in Korean cinema, melodrama appears to have relinquished its crown to darker and grittier thrillers and action films. Playing her first role in a melodrama film in years in “Be With You,” Son Ye-jin said she has been wanting to present the audience with a quality melodrama flick for a while.“It’s not so much that I wanted to sustain my nickname ‘Melodrama Queen,’ as that the genre has always been something that I wanted to do,” she said in a group interview in Seoul

March 13, 2018

[Herald Review] Just to ‘Be With You’

The past prevalence of melodramas on both small and silver screens has been a divisive issue among Korean audiences. While a great many fans enjoy dramatic tearjerkers, others are against the film’s tendency of turning into a cry fest.“Be With You” -- directed by Lee Jang-hoon and starring So Ji-sub and “Melodrama Queen” Son Ye-jin -- is a film that does a satisfactory job of adding the right amount of sadness. A scene from “Be With You” (Lotte Entertainment)The story follows Woo-jin and his son

March 13, 2018